Selecting menu for an object in a graphical user interface (gui) environment

ABSTRACT

Provided is a method applied to a computer system including a display device and a pointing device for operating a pointer displayed in a display region of the display device in accordance with an operation by a user. In the method, a position of the pointer is stored as a first position in response to receipt of a first operation performed by the user, a first menu including multiple items is displayed at a position corresponding to the first position, a position of the pointer is stored as a second position in response to receipt of a second operation performed by the user, and a second menu is displayed, being changed from the first menu based on a distance between the first position and the second position, wherein the second menu includes the plurality of items.

BACKGROUND

Aspects of the present invention relate to a technique to improveusability in a GUI environment, and particularly aims for menu selectionexcellent in operability.

In order to improve usability in the GUI environment, techniquesdescribed in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2002-91649,2006-113705, Hei 8-123647, 2000-339482, and the like have been proposedconventionally.

Generally, in many applications using the GUI, the user has to select amenu item displayed by clicking on an object. In an application runningon a certain operating system, the user presses the right button of themouse to make a menu show up, and then selects an item in the menu withthe mouse or a cursor key. When there are a few items shown in the menu,there are a few operational problems. However, there are manyapplications having a menu shown with many items or a menu shown inmultiple hierarchical levels. When a frequently used menu item by theuser is located in the lower part of the menu or in a lower hierarchicallevel, the operability is not exactly good.

Aside from a challenge to enhance efficiency in dealing with many menuitems, there exists a case where it is effective to give a certainnumerical amount simultaneously at the time of item selection. Forexample, suppose that options such as “increase volume” and “decreasevolume” are provided. If the user is allowed to not only simply selectan item but also simultaneously designate “how much” (degree) in theapplication, the user enjoys a better operability. General menuselection in the GUI environment is not designed to allow the amount tobe designated at the same time as selection. Accordingly, the user hasto designate the amount, when necessary, by making typical candidatesshow up as submenu items or making another UI (including a dialog box)show up. This is another challenge for operation efficiency.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to aspects of the present invention, a method for operating apointer in accordance with an operation by a user, comprises storing aposition of a pointer displayed in a display region of a display deviceof a computer system as a first position in response to receipt of afirst operation performed by the user, where a pointing device operatesthe pointer and displaying a first menu including a plurality of itemsat a position corresponding to the first position. The method alsocomprises storing a position of the pointer as a second position inresponse to receipt of a second operation performed by the user anddisplaying a second menu changed from the first menu based on a distancebetween the first position and the second position, wherein the secondmenu includes the plurality of items. According to further aspects ofthe present invention, a computer program that is executed in a computersystem including a display device and a pointing device for operating apointer displayed in a display region of the display device inaccordance with an operation by a user, the computer program causing thecomputer system to execute the above method.

According to yet further aspects of the present invention, a computersystem comprises a display device, a pointing device for operating apointer displayed in a display region of the display device inaccordance with an operation by a user, a storage unit and an arithmeticand control unit. The arithmetic and control unit is configured to causethe storage device to store a position of the pointer as a firstposition in response to receipt of a first operation performed by theuser and the display device to display a first menu including aplurality of items at a position corresponding to the first position.The arithmetic and control unit is further configured to cause thestorage device to store a position of the pointer as a second positionin response to receipt of a second operation performed by the user andthe display device to display a second menu changed from the first menubased on a distance between the first position and the second position,wherein the second menu includes the plurality of items.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an external view of a personal computer according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration of the personal computer.

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram illustrating a softwareconfiguration of the personal computer.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart explaining operations of the personal computer.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show an operation of a mouse (FIG. 5B) by a user and astate of a display region of a display (FIG. 5A) according to theoperation.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show an operation of the mouse (FIG. 6B) by the user anda state of the display region of the display (FIG. 6A) according to theoperation.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show an operation of the mouse (FIG. 7B) by the user anda state of the display region of the display (FIG. 7A) according to theoperation.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show an operation of the mouse (FIG. 8B) by the user anda state of the display region of the display (FIG. 8A) according to theoperation.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show an operation of the mouse (FIG. 9B) by the user anda state of the display region of the display (FIG. 9A) according to theoperation.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show an operation of the mouse (FIG. 10B) by the userand a state of the display region of the display (FIG. 10A) according tothe operation.

FIGS. 11A and 11B show an operation of the mouse (FIG. 11B) by the userand a state of the display region of the display (FIG. 11A) according tothe operation.

FIGS. 12A and 12B show an operation of the mouse (FIG. 12B) by the userand a state of the display region of the display (FIG. 12A) according tothe operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One of the aspects of the present invention is to provide a method, acomputer program and a computer system by which operations of selectinga menu and designating an amount are efficiently performed in a GUIenvironment.

Aspects of the present invention can be understood as a method appliedto a computer system including: a display device; a pointing device foroperating a pointer displayed in a display region of the display devicein accordance with an operation by a user; a storage unit; and anarithmetic and control unit. In this case, the method includes thefollowing steps in which the arithmetic and control unit causes: thestorage unit to store a position of the pointer as a first position inresponse to an event where a first operation performed by the user isreceived through the pointing device; the display device to display afirst menu including multiple items at a position corresponding to thefirst position; the storage unit to store a position of the pointer as asecond position in response to an event where a second operationperformed by the user is received through the pointing device; and thedisplay device to display a second menu changed from the first menubased on a distance between the first position and the second position.

In the method, the first operation can be an operation of designating anobject in the display region by using the pointer. In addition, thesecond operation can be an operation of dragging the object with thepointer. Focusing on a display region of a menu, in order to enhancevisibility, a display region of the second menu can be configured to belarger than a display region of the first menu. Furthermore, the displayregion of the second menu may be configured to be scalable, namely,scaled up with the increase of the distance between the first positionand the second position, and scaled down with the decrease of thedistance between the first position and the second position. Focusing onitems in the second menu, the mode of the items can be changed based onthe distance between the first position and the second position.

As an example, the following can be implemented to prevent amisoperation in a small displayed menu. Specifically, in response to anevent where the distance between the first position and the secondposition exceeds a first threshold, the items in the second menu (whichhave been non-selectable) are displayed in a selectable manner. In otherwords, in response to an event where the distance between the firstposition and the second position falls below the first threshold, theitems in the second menu (which have been selectable) can be displayedin a non-selectable manner. As another example, the following can beimplemented in consideration of selection frequency of the items. Inresponse to an even where the distance between the first position andthe second position exceeds a second threshold, the second menuadditionally includes one or more items not included in the first menuin addition to the items included in the first menu. In other words, inresponse to an even where the distance between the first position andthe second position falls below the second threshold, items which arenot included in the first menu but included in the second menu can bedeleted in the configuration. In sum, among the items included in thesecond menu, the items included also in the first menu can be itemswhich are more frequently selected than the items not included in thefirst menu are. Further, as a combination of these examples, in responseto an even where the distance between the first position and the secondposition exceeds a first threshold, the items included in the first menucan be displayed in a selectable manner, and in response to an eventwhere the distance between the first position and the second positionexceeds the second threshold higher than the first threshold, the itemsnot included in the first menu can be displayed in a selectable manner.

Here, suppose that the first position is P1(X1, Y1) and the secondposition is P2(X2, Y2). The distance between the first position and thesecond position may be a distance between P1 and P2 on a plane (the rootsquare of the sum of a square of |X2−X1| and a square of |Y2−Y1|), ormay be represented by |X2−X1| or |Y2−Y1|. When the distance isrepresented by |X2−X1|, a selection can be made from the (multiple)items in the second menu based on a value or magnitude of (Y2−Y1) (thiscase is generally preferable). In contrast, when the distance isrepresented by |Y2−Y1|, a selection can be made from the (multiple)items in the second menu based on a value or magnitude of (X2−X1). As anexample of the former case, the following configuration can beimplemented. In this case, suppose that the first position is P1(X1,Y1), the second position is P2(X2, Y2), and the second menu includesmultiple items arranged in a Y direction. Firstly, the second menuchanged from the first menu based on the value of X2−X1 is displayed.Then, in response to receipt of a third operation performed by the user,one of the multiple items is selected based on the value of Y2−Y1(specifically, based on a value of (Y2−Y1)/|X2−X1|). Furthermore,another configuration can also be implemented. In the configuration, inresponse to receipt of the third operation performed by the user, noneof the multiple items is selected in response to an event where thevalue of Y2−Y1 (specifically, based on a value of (Y2−Y1)/|X2−X1|)exceeds a third threshold.

Suppose that the pointing device is a mouse having a button. In thiscase, the first operation is an operation of pressing the button, thesecond operation is an operation of moving the mouse with the buttonkept pressed (dragging), and the third operation is an operation ofreleasing the button. According to the configuration described in theprevious paragraph, the size of the second menu is determined based onthe distance of dragging, and an item to be selected in the second menuis determined based on a direction of dragging (in other words, theangle of the dragging movement).

The item to be selected may be one of values which are not consecutive(for example, various commands) or values which are consecutive (forexample, parameter values such as volume).

In addition, there is a case where the menu items include a third menuin a lower hierarchical level. In this case, suppose that: the firstposition is P1(X1, Y1) and the second position is P2(X2, Y2); the secondmenu includes multiple items arranged in the Y direction; and in thestep of displaying the second menu, the second menu changed from thefirst menu based on the value of X2−X1 is displayed. In this case, thefollowing configuration can be implemented. Specifically, in response toreceipt of the third operation performed by the user, one of themultiple items is selected based on the value of Y2−Y1. Then, oncondition that the one item thus selected includes a submenu in a lowerlevel, the third menu is displayed. Here, the third operation is anoperation of moving the pointer in a direction opposite to a directionfrom P1 to P2 in an X direction and same as a direction from P1 to P2 inthe Y direction. Thus, the third menu can be displayed at a side of theone item in the direction opposite to the direction from P1 to P2 in theX direction. On the assumption that the pointing device is a mousehaving a button, these operations can be defined as follows. The firstoperation is an operation of pressing the button (clicking). The secondoperation is an operation of moving the mouse in a certain directionwith the button kept pressed (dragging). The third operation is anoperation of moving the mouse in another direction with the button keptpressed (opposite dragging).

Aspects of the present invention can also be understood as a computerprogram that is executed in a computer system including: a displaydevice; a pointing device for operating a pointer displayed in a displayregion of the display device in accordance with an operation by a user;a storage unit; and an arithmetic and control unit. In this case, thecomputer program causes the computer system to execute the steps of:storing a position of the pointer as a first position in response toreceipt of a first operation performed by the user; displaying a firstmenu including multiple items at a position corresponding to the firstposition; storing a position of the pointer as a second position inresponse to receipt of a second operation performed by the user; anddisplaying a second menu changed from the first menu based on a distancebetween the first position and the second position.

Aspects of the present invention can also be understood as a computersystem including: a display device; a pointing device for operating apointer displayed in a display region of the display device inaccordance with an operation by a user; a storage unit; and anarithmetic and control unit. In this case, the arithmetic and controlunit of the computer system is configured to cause: the storage deviceto store a position of the pointer as a first position in response toreceipt of a first operation performed by the user; the display deviceto display a first menu including a plurality of items at a positioncorresponding to the first position; the storage device to store aposition of the pointer as a second position in response to receipt of asecond operation performed by the user; and the display device todisplay a second menu changed from the first menu based on a distancebetween the first position and the second position.

When understood as the computer program or the computer system, aspectsof the present invention naturally has substantially the same technicalfeatures as when understood as the method as described above.

Firstly, hardware and software configurations of a personal computer (acomputer system) 4 according to this embodiment will be described withreference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 shows an external view of the personalcomputer 4 according to this embodiment. FIGS. 2 and 3 show functionalblock diagrams illustrating a hardware configuration of the personalcomputer 4 and a software configuration thereof, respectively.

As the hardware configuration, the personal computer 4 includes: a(low-speed and high-speed) bus 40; a CPU (an arithmetic and controlunit) 41 connected to the bus 40; a random access memory (RAM: a storageunit) 42; a read only memory (ROM: a storage unit) 43; a hard disk drive(HDD: a storage unit) 44; a communication interface 45; and aninput-output interface 46. The personal computer 4 further includes amouse (a pointing device) 47; a flat panel display (a display device)48, a keyboard 49; and the like. Note that the description is given onthe assumption that the personal computer 4 employs a general personalcomputer architecture, but, for the pursuit of better data processingcapability and availability, the CPU 41, the HDD 44 and the like may bemultiplexed. In addition, various types of computer systems may beemployed including not only the desk-top type, but also laptop andtablet personal computers, a personal digital assistant (PDA), asmartphone and the like.

As the software configuration, the personal computer 4 includes: anoperating system (OS) 50 that provides basic functions; applicationsoftware 51 that utilizes functions of the OS 50; and driver software 52for the mouse 47. For example, a general commercial or open-sourceoperating system may be employed as the OS 50. Functions according tothis embodiment to be described later are implemented in one or some ofthe software 50 to 52. The software 50 to 52 are loaded on the RAM 42,and executed by the CPU 41 or the like.

Next, operations and functions of the personal computer 4 according tothis embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 11B. FIG.4 shows a flowchart explaining the operations of the personal computer4. FIGS. 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B, 10B and 11B show user's operations of themouse 47, and FIGS. 5A, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, 10A and 11A accordingly showstates of (part of) a display region of the flat panel display 48(simply referred to as a “display 48” below). Hereinbelow, a descriptionwill be given with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 4.

The user operates the mouse 47 and thereby operates a pointer P in thedisplay region of the display 48. Here, an object O is displayed at aposition (first position) P1(X1, Y1) defined as an origin in an XYcoordinate system. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the pointer P isoverlapped with the object O. When the user right-clicks the mouse 47 inthis state (see S101 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6B), the personal computer 4stores the position P1 in the RAM 42 (see S102 in FIG. 4) and displaysan initial menu (first menu) 1 on the display 48 at a positioncorresponding to P1 (near the position P1 in an X direction, in thiscase) (see S103 in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6A).

When the user further operates the mouse 47 by moving the pointer P fromthe position P1 to a position P2(X2, Y2) while keeping holding down theright button (that is, by dragging) (see S104 in FIG. 4), the followingfunctions are exerted in two phases in accordance with a relationbetween the position P1 and the position P2 (see S105 and S106 in FIG.4).

In the first phase, based on a value (X2−X1) of movement in the Xdirection (hereinafter, referred to as X-movement) between the positionP1 and the position P2, the following functions are exerted. 1. The menuis scaled up and down. 2. Items in the menu are switched to beselectable or non-selectable. 3. One or more items are added to ordeleted from (increased or decreased in) the menu (see S105 in FIG. 4).Each of the functions will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7Aand 7B. Here, for simplicity, the descriptions will be given on theassumption that a value (Y2−Y1) of movement in a Y direction(hereinafter, referred to as Y-movement) between the position P1 and theposition P2 is zero. In addition, the XY coordinate system on thedisplay 48 does not necessarily coincide with an XY coordinate systemshowing moving directions of the mouse 47.

1. Scaling Up and Down Menus

When the user drags the mouse 47 in the X direction, a scaled-up menu(second menu) 2 is displayed at the position P2. Specifically, when thepointer P is moved to a position P2A(X2A, Y2A), a scaled-up menu 2A isdisplayed at the position P2A (with the position P2A substantially asthe center). When the pointer P is moved to a position P2B(X2B, Y2B), ascaled-up menu 2B is displayed at the position P2B (with the positionP2B substantially as the center). When the pointer P is moved to aposition P2C(X2C, Y2C), a scaled-up menu 2C is displayed at the positionP2C (with the position P2C substantially as the center). When thepointer P is moved to a position P2D(X2D, Y2D), a scaled-up menu 2D isdisplayed at the position P2D (with the position P2D substantially asthe center). Here, the menus have the following relation in size(areas): initial menu 1<scaled-up menu 2A<scaled-up menu 2B<scaled-upmenu 2C<scaled-up menu 2D, and the following relation in position:X2A<X2B<X2C<X2D. To put it differently, the larger the value ofX-movement of the pointer P, the larger the area of the menu (theinitial menu 1 or the scaled-up menu 2). The same applies to theopposite situation. The smaller the value of X-movement of the pointerP, the smaller the area of the menu (the initial menu 1 or the scaled-upmenu 2). The menu can be scaled up and down as described above, andthereby the menu having a size desired by the user can be displayed.

2. Switching Menu Items to be Selectable or Non-Selectable

When the user drags the mouse 47 in the X direction, the scaled-up menu(second menu) 2 is displayed at the position P2 as described above.Here, until the value of X-movement of the pointer P reaches a thresholdT1 (first threshold), the items included in the menus (the initial menu1 and the scaled-up menu 2) are non-selectable, and thus are grayed outso as to visually show the user that no selection can be made in themenus. Here, there is a relation of X2A<T1<X2B. Accordingly, items inthe initial menu 1 and the scaled-up menu 2A are non-selectable and thusgrayed out in the display 48 so as to visually show that they arenon-selectable. In contrast, items in each of the scaled-up menus 2B, 2Cand 2D are selectable, and thus are not grayed out but displayed in anot grayed-out manner so as to show that they are selectable. The sameapplies to the opposite situation. When the value of X-movement of thepointer P becomes smaller, the menu items which have been selectablebecome non-selectable. As described above, the menu items are switchedto be selectable or non-selectable. This makes it possible to prevent anerroneous selection of a non-target item due to the relatively smalldisplayed menu.

3. Increasing/Decreasing Menu Items

When the user drags the mouse 47 in the X direction, the scaled-up menu(second menu) 2 is displayed in the position P2 as described above.Here, in response to an event where the value of X-movement of thepointer P exceeds a threshold T2 (second threshold), the number of itemsin the scaled-up menu 2 are increased. Here, there is a relation ofX2C<T2<X2D. Accordingly, the number of items I included in each of theinitial menu 1 and the scaled-up menus 2A, 2B and 2C is 11, whereas thenumber of items I included in the scaled-up menu 2D is 13. The sameapplies to the opposite situation. When the value of X-movement of thepointer P is decreased, the number of items I included in the menu isdecreased (from 13 to 11). In this respect, the default items arepreferably items which are more frequently selected than the added itemsare. The selection frequency can be calculated by the personal computer4 that stores histories of items selected by the user. Alternatively,the selection frequency may be stored and calculated on a user basis oran object O basis, and thereby the default items and the added items maybe dynamically changed based on the calculation result. Stillalternatively, the items may be changed in not only two steps but alsomore steps. The number of items included in the menu are increased anddecreased in this manner, and thus varies depending on the size of themenu. This enables easier selection of an item.

In the second phase, based on a value (Y2−Y1) of Y-movement between theposition P1 and the position P2, the pointer P is displayed in one ofthe menu items or in a display region outside the menu (see S106 in FIG.4). Hereinbelow, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. 7Ato 9B. Note that the pointer P is dragged obliquely in the description.

The positional relation between the pointer P and a menu is determinedin the following manner. Specifically, when the pointer P is draggedonly in the X direction, the pointer P is always displayed approximatelyin the center of the menu (see FIG. 7A). When the pointer P is draggedin the X and Y directions, a Y coordinate is determined based on thevalue (Y2−Y1) of Y-movement between the position P1 and the position P2,more precisely, based on an inclination in a dragging direction, thatis, (Y2−Y1)/|X2−X1|. Accordingly, when the inclination of the draggingdirection is constant((Y2A−Y1)/|X2A−X1|=(Y2B−Y1)/|X2B−X1|=(Y2C−Y1)/|X2C−X1|), the pointer Palways points at an item I2 in the scaled-up menu 2 (see the solid linearrows in FIGS. 8A and 9A). In contrast, in response to an event wherethe inclination (Y2−Y1)/|X2−X11 exceeds a threshold (third threshold),the pointer P points at a position outside the scaled-up menu 2 (see thedotted arrow in FIG. 9A). In such an implementation, in order tosuppress an amount of Y-movement of the pointer P to enhance theusability, more frequently selected menu items should preferably bearranged around the center of the menu, whereas less frequently selecteditems should be arranged on the upper side (Y direction) of the menu orthe lower side (minus Y direction) thereof.

In this embodiment, there are two types of operations (third operations)of selecting an item in the scaled-up menu 2. A description will begiven of each of the operations.

One of the third operations is releasing of the right button of themouse 47 by the user while the pointer P exists in a selectable item inthe menu (see S108 in FIG. 4). In this case, an item pointed by thepointer P is selected (see S109 in FIG. 4). For example, as shown inFIG. 9A, when the user releases the right button of the mouse 47 whilethe pointer P points at the item I2 in the scaled-up menu 2C, the itemI2 is selected. On the other hand, when the user releases the rightbutton (see S107 in FIG. 4) while the pointer P exists in anon-selectable item in the menu, the selection is nullified and thuscancelled (S110 in FIG. 4). Specifically, when the user releases theright button while the pointer P exists in the initial menu 1 or thescaled-up menu 2A or while the pointer P exists outside the scaled-upmenu 2B, 2C or 2D (see P2C′ in FIG. 9A), the selection is cancelled.

The other operation is moving of the pointer P by the user in a firstdirection (in a direction opposite to a direction from P1 to P2 in the Xdirection and same as a direction from P1 to P2 in the Y direction)without releasing the right button of the mouse 47 (see S111 in FIG. 4).In this case, if an item pointed by the pointer P does not include asubmenu in a lower hierarchical level (see S112 in FIG. 4), the item isselected (see S109 in FIG. 4). If the item pointed by the pointer Pincludes a submenu, the submenu (third menu) is displayed (see S113 inFIG. 4). For example, if the item I2 in the scaled-up menu 2C pointed bythe pointer P includes a submenu, a submenu 3 is displayed appearingfrom the item I2 when the user moves the pointer P in the oppositedirection (in the direction opposite to the direction from P1 to P2 inthe X direction and same as the direction from P1 to P2 in the Ydirection) (see FIGS. 10A and 10B). In contrast, when the user moves thepointer P in a second direction (in the direction opposite to thedirection from P1 to P2 in the X direction and opposite to the directionfrom P1 to P2 in the Y direction) without releasing the right button ofthe mouse 47 (see S111 in FIG. 4), the item is not selected and thescaled-up menu 2 is only scaled down (from the scaled-up menu 2C to thescaled-up menu 2B) (see S105 in FIG. 4 and FIGS. 11A and 11B).

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Anitem in the menu is selected in the description of this embodiment.However, when the item corresponds to a numerical value of a parameter,the parameter may be selected from the menu in the similar manner. FIGS.12A and 12B show how a volume parameter is selected. Similarly, adesirable parameter (volume value) can be easily selected based on theinclination of the movement of the pointer P. A menu structure may alsobe employed in which a parameter can be selected in a submenu of an itemas shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B.

Note that aspects of the present invention can be implemented by notonly a method but also hardware, software or a combination of both. Forexample, a touch panel or a tablet can be employed as the pointingdevice. Implementation with a data processing system having apredetermined program is a typical example of the implementation by acombination of hardware and software. In such a case, the predeterminedprogram is loaded and executed on the data processing system, therebycontrolling and causing the data processing system to perform processingaccording to aspects of the present invention. The program consists ofan instruction set which can be expressed in any selected language,codes or expressions. Such an instruction set enables the system todirectly execute a particular function, or to execute the particularfunction after being subjected to any one or both of the followings: 1.conversion into any other language, codes or expressions, and 2. copy toanother medium.

As a matter of course, the scope of the present invention includes notonly such a program itself, but also a medium recording the program. Theprogram for implementing the functions according to aspects of thepresent invention can be stored in any computer readable medium such asa flexible disk, an MO, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a hard disk device, a ROM, anMRAM and a RAM. The program to be stored in the computer readable mediumcan be obtained by downloading the program from another data processingsystem connected through a communications line, or by making a copy ofthe program in another medium. Moreover, the program can be compressedto be stored in a single storage medium, or divided into multiple piecesto be stored in multiple storage media. It should be noted that aprogram product to implement aspects of the present invention may benaturally provided in various forms.

A pseudo code is shown below for explaining details of the configurationof aspects of the present invention. However, details in implementationare omitted in the pseudo code for facilitating the explanation. Forexample, when the mouse 47 is dragged not to the right but to the left,an amount of movement in the X direction is represented by a minusvalue. The pseudo code does not describe processing for this operation.In addition, the pseudo code does not refer to the order of menu itemsdisplayed (whether or not to display the menu items in the oppositeorder) for a case where the amount of movement is a minus value. Whenthe amount of movement is a minus value, the menu items may be displayedin opposite, or not in opposite. Either way that is more natural to theapplication may be selected.

   int MENU_H_USUAL= 24 /* Example: Usual height of a menu item */  intMENU_W_USUAL= 60 /* Example: Usual width of a menu item */  intMIN_FONT_HEIGHT= 6 /* Example: Minimum height of a menu item to be setas selectable. Based on the height of a minimum font. */  intX_TO_Y_RATIO= 5 /* Example: Menu item is 24 dots high in a case of 120dots movement in the X direction */  #define POS_CENTER1  #definePOS_UPPER2  #define POS_LOWER3  typedef struct {  booleandisplayed  intmenuid  int distance  } MENUINFO  main  ...  MENUINFO menuinfo[10]/* Upto 10 levels are temporarily set. */  GetMouseInfo(&x, &y, &button )/*Get coordinates and the state of the button from the mouse. */  if (button is pressed )   ScalableMenu( x, y, N, pos_center, menuinfo, 0 )  /* Selected menuid and distances to the selected menu are returned tothe   array menuinfo. */   /* For simplicity of explanation,determination logic of how many   submenus to be displayed or selectedis omitted. */  endif  end  ScalableMenu( int x0, inty0, int N, intmenu_pos_mode, MENUINFO *menuinfo,int depth )  selectable = false/* Amenu displayed in small size is not selectable and thus grayed out. */ curr_menuid= -1  prev_y = -1  GetMouseInfo(&x, &y, &button )/* Getcoordinates and the state of the button from the mouse. */  while (button is not released )   menu_h = ( x - x0 )/X_TO_Y_RATIO/* The heightof a menu item is   proportional to x-movement amount. */   /* Here, forsimplicity of explanation, a case of x smaller than x0 is not  included. */   if menu_h == 0/* If menu_h is zero, display the menu inthe minimum  size. */    menu_h = 1/* In this case, strictly speaking,the height of a menu    item is not proportional to an x-movementamount. */    selectable = false   elseif ( menu_h < MIN_FONT_HEIGHT )/* Not selectable if the height  of the menu is lower than the minimumdisplayable font size, because the menu is  not readable. */   selectable = false/* For a well-trained user, the menu may be set to   be selectable. */   else    selectable = true    if menu_pos_mode ==POS_CENTER     ypos_in_menu = y - ( y0 - menu_h* N/2 )    elsemenu_pos_mode = POS_UPPER     ypos_in_menu = y - ( y0 - menu_h* N ) else   ypos_in_menu = y - y0  endif   if ( ypos_in_menu < 0 )/* Thepointer is located above the menu. */    curr_menuid = -1   else   curr_menuid = ypos_in_menu/ menu_h    if curr_menuid >= N/* Thepointer is located below the menu. */     curr_menuid = -1    endif  endif  endif  menu_w = menu_h * MENU_W_USUAL /MENU_H_USUAL  if (menu_h< prev_menu_h)/* The mouse is determined to have been moved in adirection opposite to the X direction based on the calculated menu_h. */ /* This is because determination based on the previous x and thecurrent x results in no play in displaying timing of a submenu, */  /*and thus submenu is displayed in response to a small event. */   if ( y<= y0 && y < prev_y )    ScalableMenu( x, y, POS_UPPER, menuinfo,depth + 1 )    break   else ( y > y0 &&y > prev_y )    ScalableMenu( x,y, POS_LOWER, menuinfo, depth + 1 )    break   endif  endif  UpdateMenu(selectable, N, menu_h,menu_w, menu_pos_mode) /* Display and update themenu. */  * If selectable is false, the menu is grayed out to show it isnon-selectable. */  prev_y = y  prev_menu_h = menu_h  GetMouseInfo( &x,&y, &button )  endwhile  menuinfo[depth ].menuid = curr_menuid menuinfo[depth ].distance = calculate_distance( x, y, x0, y0 )  return end

The present invention can provide a method, a computer program and acomputer system by which operations of selecting a menu and designatingan amount are performed in more efficiently in a GUI environment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for operating a pointer in accordancewith an operation by a user, the method comprising: storing a positionof a pointer displayed in a display region of a display device of acomputer system as a first position in response to receipt of a firstoperation performed by the user, where a pointing device operates thepointer; displaying a first menu including a plurality of items at aposition corresponding to the first position; storing a position of thepointer as a second position in response to receipt of a secondoperation performed by the user; and displaying a second menu changedfrom the first menu based on a distance between the first position andthe second position, wherein the second menu includes the plurality ofitems.
 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingdesignating an object in the display region by using the pointer toperform the first operation.
 3. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising displaying a display region of the second menu larger than adisplay region of the first menu.
 4. The method according to claim 1,further comprising scaling up the display region of the second menu withan increase of the distance between the first position and the secondposition, and scaling down the display region of the second menu with adecrease of the distance between the first position and the secondposition.
 5. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingdisplaying items in the second menu in a selectable manner in responseto an event where the distance between the first position and the secondposition exceeds a first threshold.
 6. The method according to claim 1,further comprising providing the second menu as including one or moreitems not included in the first menu in addition to the items includedin the first menu in response to an event where the distance between thefirst position and the second position exceeds a second threshold. 7.The method according to claim 6, further comprising providing itemsincluded in the first menu that are more frequently selected than theitem not included in the first menu.
 8. The method according to claim 6,further comprising: displaying the items included in the first menu in aselectable manner in response to an event where the distance between thefirst position and the second position exceeds a first threshold, anddisplaying the items not included in the first menu in a selectablemanner in response to an event where the distance between the firstposition and the second position exceeds the second threshold higherthan the first threshold.
 9. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising: designating the first position as P1(X1, Y1) and the secondposition as P2(X2, Y2), and displaying the second menu such that thesecond menu changed from the first menu based on a value of X2−X1 or avalue of Y2−Y1.
 10. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingselecting one of the items included in the second menu in response toreceipt of a third operation performed by the user.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: designating the first positionas P1(X1, Y1) and the second position as P2(X2, Y2), providing thesecond menu with a plurality of items arranged in a Y direction,displaying the second menu as the second menu changed from the firstmenu based on a value of X2−X1, and selecting one of the plurality ofitems based on a value of Y2−Y1 in response to receipt of a thirdoperation performed by the user.
 12. The method according to claim 1,further comprising: designating the first position as P1(X1, Y1) and thesecond position as P2(X2, Y2), providing the second menu with aplurality of items arranged in the Y direction, displaying the secondmenu as the second menu changed from the first menu based on a value ofX2−X1, and selecting none of the plurality of items on condition that avalue of Y2−Y1 exceeds a third threshold, in response to receipt of athird operation performed by the user.
 13. The method according to claim10, further comprising: implementing the pointing device as a mousehaving a button such that the first operation is an operation ofpressing the button, the second operation is an operation of moving themouse with the button kept pressed, and the third operation is anoperation of releasing the button.
 14. The method according to claim 10,further comprising corresponding the plurality of items included in thesecond menu to parameter values, respectively.
 15. The method accordingto claim 10, further comprising: providing the one item as including athird menu in a lower hierarchical level, and displaying the third menuin response to selection of the one item.
 16. The method according toclaim 1, further comprising: designating the first position as P1(X1,Y1) and the second position as P2(X2, Y2), providing the second menu asincluding a plurality of items arranged in a Y direction, displaying thesecond menu such that the second menu changed from the first menu basedon a value of X2−X1 is displayed, selecting one of the plurality ofitems based on a value of Y2−Y1 in response to receipt of a thirdoperation performed by the user, and displaying a third menu in a lowerhierarchical level on condition that the one item includes the thirdmenu.
 17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: movingthe pointer in the third operation in a direction opposite to adirection from P1 to P2 in an X direction, and same as a direction fromP1 to P2 in the Y direction, and displaying the third menu at a side ofthe one item in the direction opposite to the direction from P1 to P2 inthe X direction.
 18. The method according to claim 16, furthercomprising: implementing the pointing device as a mouse having a button,such that the first operation is an operation of pressing the button,the second operation is an operation of moving the mouse in a certaindirection with the button kept pressed, and the third operation is anoperation of moving the mouse in another direction with the button keptpressed.
 19. A computer program that is executed in a computer systemincluding a display device and a pointing device for operating a pointerdisplayed in a display region of the display device in accordance withan operation by a user, the computer program causing the computer systemto execute: storing a position of the pointer as a first position inresponse to receipt of a first operation performed by the user;displaying a first menu including a plurality of items at a positioncorresponding to the first position; storing a position of the pointeras a second position in response to receipt of a second operationperformed by the user; and displaying a second menu changed from thefirst menu based on a distance between the first position and the secondposition, wherein the second menu includes the plurality of items.
 20. Acomputer system comprising: a display device; a pointing device foroperating a pointer displayed in a display region of the display devicein accordance with an operation by a user; a storage unit; and anarithmetic and control unit, wherein: the arithmetic and control unit isconfigured to cause: the storage device to store a position of thepointer as a first position in response to receipt of a first operationperformed by the user; the display device to display a first menuincluding a plurality of items at a position corresponding to the firstposition; the storage device to store a position of the pointer as asecond position in response to receipt of a second operation performedby the user; and the display device to display a second menu changedfrom the first menu based on a distance between the first position andthe second position, wherein the second menu includes the plurality ofitems.